Monday, July 7, 2014

SCPR SERIES - VOLUME 1: DID YOU? DID YOUR NEIGHBOR VOTE ON MAY 06, 2014?

LATEST UPDATE: 12:22 PM

PRECINCT DATABASES

LISTED

(at the end of the blog)

ALLIANCE 1-A

(with original blog)

CANTON CITY 1-A

(update: 8:52 a.m.)

MASSILLON 1-A

(update: 10:05 a.m.)

NORTH CANTON 1-A

(update: 12:30 p.m.)

Today, The Stark County Political Report starts a series on naming names on who did and who did not vote on May 06, 2014.

The data for the series comes from a database of registered voter information maintained by and downloadable from the Ohio secretary of state website.

Where the SCPR differs markedly from other Stark media is that The Report identifies offenders by name when a blog castigates one activity or another as a subject matter of a particular blog.

With today"s blog, The Report takes on the 86.3% of Stark County's 249,614 registered voters.

In other words, ensuing blogs in this series will be naming many of the SCPR's own readers, their relatives, their business associates, their colleagues, their fellow workers, their friends and, yes!, their neighbors in this series which will run to completion between today and November 04, 2014 - the date if this year's general election.

Many readers will want to dismiss the significance of the extremely low vote total in the May 06, 2014 primary election as not involving "important to the viability of our democracy" issues and candidates.

One of the "important to the viability to our democracy" primary election day matters was the election of precinct committee persons.

Important?

Indeed!

Our current sitting Stark County sheriff (George T. Maier) is in office as a consequence of the vote of the precinct committee persons of the Stark County Democratic Party on December 11, 2014 after having been removed from office on November 6, 2013 by the Ohio Supreme Court as having been "illegally" (in violation of Ohio Revised Code Section 311.01) appointed by those same precinct committee persons on February 05, 2013.

Steve Okey sits as the president of Alliance City Council as a consequence of having been appointed by a simple majority (8 for Okey, 5 for Ryan and 1 for a third candidate) of a mere 14 Alliance area voters who happened to be city of Alliance Stark County Democratic Party precinct committee members.

The SCPR can recite numerous examples of the "significance" of political party precinct committee members on governance in Stark County and its political subdivisions on both side of the political aisle.

In October, 2013, The Huffington Post Blog published an article on a precinct committee person election in the Detroit area.

In the article, O'Connor makes a number of worth quoting observations about the importance and significance of the election of precinct committee persons and the like (i.e board of education, et cetera), to wit:

Since these local campaigns are kind of low key, voters somehow get the impression these elections aren't all that important -- but nothing could be further from the truth. Positions on the school board, zoning commission and library board shape the quality of life and future direction of our towns -- the places where we live our lives -- in ways that are vastly more direct than the federal government. Obamacare certainly touches everyone's life, but the impact of putting a cocktail lounge next to the high school is more direct, and maybe even more important.

Somehow, voters don't see it that way, which is why over 50 percent of registered voters will turn out for a presidential election, but the turnout in a local election is usually less than 10 percent. In many cases, it can be as low as three percent.

"As low as three percent?"

In Stark County, Ohio?

How about lower?

On May 13th, the SCPR did a blog on Canton City Ward 4, to wit:

Indeed!

2.03% in Canton city councilwoman (Democrat) Chris Smith's Ward 4.

Former Stark County Democratic Party chairman Randy Gonzalez gets reverential when talking about the "importance and significance" of precinct committee persons to our democracy in meetings he has chaired when precinct committee persons are called upon to choose whom "to put in office" among the candidates for the Party's selection.

And well he should.

For the selected person - even if a Party hack - as a government official will be making decisions that affecting all of us.

In 1999, the Stark County Democratic Party precinct committee persons (countywide) chose Gary D. Zeigler to be Stark County treasurer when his predecessor (Mark Roach) was removed from office.

Who can forget April 1, 2009 when it was revealed that Zeigler's chief deputy Vince Frustaci had stolen upwards of $3 million from the Stark County treasurer.

While Zeigler has never been implicated in the theft, many Stark Countians and the State of Ohio auditor's office think he did not have adequate safeguards in place (after some 10 years in office, and, having run [2008] uncontested) to have prevented the theft.

The point is that whom constituted the Stark County Democratic Party precinct committee make-up in 1999 was extremely important in terms of the "elected" committee persons serving having the inclination and ability to vet the candidates for appointment to ensure that a person was up to doing the job of protecting Stark County taxpayer assets.

The SCPR offers the foregoing examples as substantiation "right here in Stark County" - not some far off place - that the election of 2014 just on the matter of precinct committee persons of both the Democratic and Republican parties are not only "important" and "significant;" they are vital - as are all issue and candidate elections - to the viability of our democracy.

Last Friday we celebrated the 4th of July; the founding of our great nation.

Late in May, we remembered those who gave "the ultimate sacrifice" in preserving our freedoms.

As the SCPR sees it, that 86.3% of Stark County registered voters did not vote on May 06, 2014 is to disrespect the work of our founders and to disrespect those who gave "their full measure" so that you and I can continue to live free.

Shame on those (with the very, very few exceptions of those who had reasons why it was impossible to vote) of us who did not vote on May 06, 2014.

The SCPR thinks "it is fitting and proper" that those Stark Countians who did their duty in honoring:

the deliberations and results our forefathers achieved with the "freedom-loving" Constitution of 1789, and

those who laid down their lives or suffered untold injury in body and mind in fighting those who would enslave us

be recognized for doing so in the lists of voters/non-voters that follow.

For those who did not vote (with no acceptable excuse), it is fitting and proper that we all know who they are "by name."

Shame on them!

Accordingly, the SCPR will over ensuing weeks being publishing precinct by precinct the list of of those eligible to participate who did or did not participate.

Readers from these precincts should be scanning the lists to know who honor the great American democratic-republic and those who are too busy to be bothered.

First up, Alliance precinct 1A.

SCPR Note:

The Report will be adding precincts throughout today

On Monday of each week through November 4th, The Report will be republishing this blog in order to bring to the attention of Stark Countians "new lists" of the voting and non-voting in the May primary until all 284 Stark County precincts have been listed

The SCPR is pleased to note that Councilman at Large Roger Rhome (a Republican), a resident of 1A was among the primary election 2014 voters:

The Report will be singling out those elected officials and other Stark County public figures who the Ohio secretary of state voter records (published June 28,2014) show as voting or not voting in the May 06, 2014 election.

Stark County Democratic Party sheriff appointee (12/11/2014) George T. Maier.

Councilwoman Sarita Cunningham-Hedderly (Republican/Precinct 1E),the SCPR is pleased to say, voted. Her name will show up in the database published for 1E as the SCPR's coverage of all 284 precincts continues over the space of this date through November 4th.

>

NORTH CANTON

PRECINCT 1A

SCPR Note: Notable Stark County political figures voting in North Canton's Precinct 1A includes former councilman (at-large) Pat DeOrio (a Democrat) who decided not to seek reelection in 2013.

DeOrio started out on council as a Republican.

Councilman Doug Foltz (Democrat/Precinct 1B),the SCPR is pleased to say, voted. His name will show up in the database published for 1B as the SCPR's coverage of all 284 precincts continues over the space of this date through November 4th.

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About Blogger

B.A. - Political Science
J.D.
AN INDEPENDENT MINDED POLITICAL COMMENTATOR
Until 1976 I was a Republican. Since then I have considered myself a Democrat. So after long term stints of being a Republican, then a Democrat, I have come to the political position I feel most comfortable with - being an INDEPENDENT MINDED ANALYST who demands effectiveness of our politicians - Republican, Democrat or whatever.
I have changed my political affiliation to "non-partisan" by not voting in either political party primary election.